Tomato Basil Pie

Our 90-plus degrees over the past few weeks has really heated up the herbs in my patio planter.

It went from this:                    

To this:

As you can see, my basil has grown into a MONSTER!

Time to make my college roommate's famous recipe:

Lari's Tomato Basil Pie

Pie innards

3 to 4 Roma tomatoes sliced

about 3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 cup plus 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup loosely packed basil leaves

heaping TBS of minced garlic in jar

Crust

1 sleeve Ritz crackers

1/2 cup Kraft Parmesan cheese (In green canister)

5 Tbs. melted butter

Start by slicing tomatoes and laying the slabs on several layers of paper towels to absorb the moisture.

Now, make the crust.

Smash up the Ritz crackers. I did this in my food processor,

but you can put them in a large Ziplock bag and crush crackers with a rolling pin.

In a bowl, mix in a half cup of the Kraft Parmesan cheese.

Add melted butter and mix well.

Press mixture into a glass pie plate. I used a quiche dish.

Bake at 350-degrees for 10 minutes.

While the crust is baking, finely chop the basil leaves.

I did this in my mini-food processor, but you can do it with a knife.

Add the minced garlic and give it a whirl in the food processor.

In a bowl, mix together mayonnaise, one cup shredded mozzarella cheese and the freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I didn't have the fresh stuff on hand, so I used Kraft in the green canister.

Add the basil-garlic mixture and combine.

When the crust comes out of the oven, sprinkle it with the half cup of shredded mozzarella.

Pat excess liquid off the draining tomatoes with a paper towel.

Arrange the tomato slices over the melting mozzarella.

Smear the mayonnaise-basil paste over the tomatoes.

I grated fresh pepper on the top.

Bake in the oven at 350-degrees for 20 minutes or until golden.

This recipe is delicious served with grilled chicken or pork chops.